Raises urged for mayor, council

A separate proposal suggests the opposite

San Diego  San Diego City Council members have two proposals coming before them — one that would increase their pay and one that would lower it.

The first option is the latest recommendation from the city’s Salary Setting Commission. The volunteer panel’s analysis shows that Mayor Jerry Sanders should be making $235,000 a year, more than double his current salary, and that council members should each get a raise of nearly $100,000.

Political and economic realities forced the commission to suggest much smaller salary increases for elected officials. The mayor currently makes $100,464 annually, while council members earn $75,386.

The panel voted unanimously Monday night to recommend a 15 percent salary increase for the mayor and council members, a change that would result in annual raises of $15,070 and $11,308, respectively, starting July 1, 2011.

At least one resident thinks giving the city’s elected officials a raise is an awful idea.

“This is supposed to be what they call public service,” said Michael Freedman, 64, a retired Navy chief petty officer who lives in San Ysidro. “It’s a duty, and if you choose to accept that duty, compensation is not the primary consideration.”

Mark McMahon, the commission’s president, noted that elected officials haven’t had a raise since 2003 and that a growing number of city employees — 3,431 — earn more than an individual council member.

“We believe that in order to increase the pool of candidates who would be interested in running for office, we need to pay a more appropriate wage to have people not take a cut in pay or not be interested in running because the pay isn’t sufficient,” said McMahon, a certified public accountant from Carmel Valley.

The commission also suggested picking a better way to establish council pay, such as indexing it to a Superior Court judge’s salary, which is what the San Diego County Board of Supervisors does.

The second proposal before the council follows similar logic. City Heights attorney and civic activist John Stump is proposing a ballot measure today to the council’s rules committee that would tie a council member’s salary to the median family income in San Diego. If approved by voters, it would take the raise decision out of the council’s hands permanently.

“The beauty is if they want a raise, they have to say, ‘Well, how can I make life better for most San Diegans?’ ” Stump said. “So when things get better for San Diegans, they get better for them.”

Stump’s proposal would mean a pay cut for the council, at least at the start. A 2009 estimate from the San Diego Association of Governments shows that the median family income in San Diego is $70,149, about $5,000 less than the council’s current salary.

Councilman Tony Young said the city doesn’t need to be distracted by talk of council pay.

“This is probably not the time to have this discussion,” Young said. “We’re really dealing with some important budgetary issues right now, and those are the issues that I’m focused on.”

Under the city charter, the commission must make annual recommendations for the salaries of elected officials.

The council then votes to approve or reject the recommendations, a move that is generally considered a political minefield. Young and Councilman Kevin Faulconer are seeking re-election in June.

Faulconer said he doesn’t support a pay raise.

“My focus is on cutting expenses, not raising them,” Faulconer said.

Mayoral spokesman Darren Pudgil said Sanders agrees that now isn’t the time for raises.